The execs behind this summer’s blockbuster “The Hangover: 2” were facing heat prior to the movie’s release, with a lawsuit on the table from the creator of Mike Tyson’s infamous face tattoo. In the movie, Ed Helms’ character wakes up with the same tattoo on his face (after a wild night), and the original tattoo artist that did Mike’s tat was none-too-pleased that he’d never given consent for the usage of the copywritten art. He’d tried to stop the release of the movie all together and was unsuccessful, but Warner Bros. is still willing to work with him and plan to digitally alter the face tattoo on the DVD version of the movie.
Via TMZ:
The studio filed new docs on Monday in their legal battle with S. Victor Whitmill — who inscribed the tribal face tat on Tyson back in 2003 — claiming, “Warner Bros. does not intend to make any use of the allegedly infringing tattoo after the film ends its run in the theaters because Warner Bros. will digitally alter the film to substitute a different tattoo on Ed Helms’s face.”
As we previously reported, Whitmill sued the studio back in April claiming copyright infringement — but a judge refused to block the movie’s release.
Whitmill has been threatening to take the matter to trial ever since — but now that Warner Bros. plans to alter the offending ink … the studio insists a trial won’t be necessary.
Damn, that’s gangsta’. Dude had that tattoo copywritten. Nice!
thats dumb… so if anyone have a tat get famous…the the artist get torn off . thats crazy…
I would look at it like this …he messed up his business. he got a lil fame for the media… but who wanna get a tat form him now.
thats stupid….so are they going to take mike tyson’s lines out of the movie when he tells stu he better fucking get that removed? or are they gonna digitally remove him mentioning the tattoo. that tattoo artist is a herb. either way it was going to be in the movie, or does he want tyson to remove it as well. SMH. that dude is lame as hell for that
Did Warner pay the artist for using his design. Isn’t that what a copyright is for? Artists need “bread” to pay the rent and such! Pay the man what his creation is worth.